On June 8, 2009, I sat down to watch the season premier of The Closer on
TNT and thought to myself - Hey, The Closer is starting its fifth season,
just like G-POP.net! What a coincidence! And what better time to write a
review about the show than on G-POP.netís fifth volume opener!

The Closer stars
Kyra Sedgwick
as Brenda Leigh Johnson who
has left her job as a police detective in Georgia to become Deputy Chief in
charge of The Priority Homicide Division (now Major Crimes Division) of the Los Angeles Police Department. As Brenda deals with the jealous needling of
Commander Russell Taylor (Robert Gossett) and the distraction of a personal life
with FBI Agent Fritz Howard (Jon Tenney), she must constantly stay on top of her
team of detectives who donít always get along as well as they should. Her boss,
Assistant Chief Will Pope (J. K. Simmons) has a long history with Deputy Chief
Johnson, one that goes all the way back to time spent working with the CIA in
Washington, D.C. and causes further
complications in both her professional and personal life.

Deputy Chief Johnsonís skill as an investigator and master
interrogator earns the respect of her team and inspires them to follow her
leadership, however quirky her tactics. Often times cases seem impossible to
solve until something in Brendaís mind clicks and a tricky investigation turns
into a cake walk upon interrogation.

There have been some rough times - suspects who get away on
technicalities, shootings in the squad room, serious injuries to team members,
relationship snafus and the like, but for the most part, Brenda usually gets her
manÖor woman, depending on the case.

When The Closer first started, I was drawn in by the
quirkiness of Brenda Johnson. The cases were simple enough and I could solve
them pretty quickly, often before Brenda and her team. However, as the show has
progressed, the cases have become more involved with twists and turns that leave
me guessing until the very end of the episode.

If The Closer only dealt with solving crimes, it may have disappeared
along time ago - crime dramas are a dime a dozen. However, itís the character
of Brenda Johnson - her quirkiness, her talent with interrogation, her
professionalism on the job as opposed to her ineptitude in her own personal life
- that makes the show so much fun to watch. Brendaís quirkiness adds some humor
to the crime drama giving it a unique quality and piquing the interest of the
viewer. What will Brenda do next to catch the suspect? What will Brenda do
next to screw up her personal life? What drama will take place in the squad to
force Brenda into a chocolate-craving frenzy?

What makes Brendaís quirkiness so interesting is that she is someone
we can relate to. Sure, she is a top notch investigator and interrogator, but
Brendaís also a regular person with issues like the rest of us. She wants to be
taken seriously in her job and cringes at the way women are often treated in
positions of power. Thatís something many women relate to. She often puts her
personal life on hold for her job - another thing we can relate to. And when
things arenít going so well, she seeks the comfort of a sweet chocolate treat -
something I, for one, can definitely relate to. These traits make Brendaís
character more human and less cop.

Kyra Sedgwick has always been an excellent actress, but I believe she has
definitely found her niche here. She not only portrays the lead role of the
show, but she has also been a co-executive producer of the show since 2007. She
has received several nominations for the show and has won a Golden Globe Award
for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Satellite Awards
for Best Actress in a Series - Drama, a Gracie Award for Outstanding Female Lead
in a Drama Series, and a Peopleís Choice Award for Favorite TV Drama Diva.

The fifth season has opened with quite a bang with a quadruple
murder that destroys a family and disrupts a narcotics investigation. This new
season finds Brenda coping with married life while still dealing with the ever
present drama of her squad. Detective Daniels has left the fold thanks to a
relationship turned sour with Detective Sergeant Gabriel. This puts the squad
at a disadvantage since they no longer have a forensics accounting specialist in
their fold. Brendaís cat becomes sick which forces Brenda to realize just how
much of her personal life she neglects for her professional life. Lieutenant
Provenza, already an irritable man, has become increasingly more irritable and
the cause is a mystery to the entire squad.

I canít wait to see what the rest of Season 5 of The Closer
has to offer its viewers. The new developments hinted upon in the first episode
have set the stage for an exciting new season for the television drama I look
forward to every Monday at 9PM EST. Check the show out on TNT and see for
yourself why The Closer is my favorite Monday night drama.